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Sgroppino: Venice Untied
Ever heard of a Sgroppino? Well, it's a lemon-flavored, creamy-smooth, frothy alcoholic beverage.
More a digestivo (digestive) or liquid dessert than an aperitivo (cocktail), the Sgroppino was created by the inventive and masterful Venetians back in the 16th century.
Sgropin, as it's called in the Venetian dialect, means to untie a little knot – the kind one finds in his/her stomach following a rather large meal. Further away from La Serenissima it's called a Sgroppino, or simply Sorbetto. Made with milk-free lemon sorbetto (sorbet) and a bit of alcohol, the Sgroppino was served in aristocratic Venetian homes during dinner to cleanse the palate between the first and second courses – normally fish to meat – and to also help digest all that was consumed at the tail-end of the dinner. That tradition continues today, with a few minor twinks to the centuries-old recipe.
Today, the classic Sgroppino is made with lemon sorbetto, vodka and Prosecco sparkling wine. Variations include strawberry, grapefruit or mandarin sorbetto vice lemon, and, for some, a bit of limoncello (lemon liqueur), too.
Here's the recipe I've tested out at my place and my friends were quite impressed.
Step-1: Thaw-out the sorbetto to a creamy consistency then place in an aluminum mixing bowl and whisk lightly.
Step-2: Pour in the vodka, whisk lightly, followed by the Prosecco and whisk a bit more.
Step-3: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the mix in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Step-4: Dampen the glasses and place in the freezer to chill.
Step-5: Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and give the mix one final whisk to re-froth.
Step-6: Pour the mix into the pre-chilled glasses up to the top, garnish with a lemon wedge and some mint leaves, then serve.
The next time, or first time you find yourself in Venice, untie those knots by asking for a Sgroppino, during or after dinner. It's the Venetian thing to do. SALUTE!
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Hi Audrey, Love your lamb shanks. --- Paul, Scottsdale AZ
Haven't been called Tad for . . .gee, maybe I've NEVER been called Tad . . . guess I'm the only one with chutzpah enough to mention Bourdain. BRILLIANT? --- Ken, Shutesbury, MA
I think we must have had an entirely different experience in the UK. (Fresh Food and Real Ale – week 1). We were up in Edinburgh and they served something called ‘Neeps & Tatties.’ The items were boiled so long that I couldn’t even recognize what I was eating. Come to think of it… I couldn’t taste them either. Later I found that Neeps’ are Turnips and ‘Tatties’ are potatoes. --- Lindy, Phoenix, AZ
My mouth was watering as I read some of your descriptions of the fantastic fare of ... England? I had always felt smug about the lowly reputation of British cuisine as this gave us at least one country with a worse culinary reputation than America's. I guess I'll have to change my views. Your article made me actually want to take a CULINARY tour of Britain. Yummy yummy yummy. --- Sandy Miner, Portland, OR Thanks for your note. Thanks to Traveling Boy I get to interview a world famous chef this week who is widely recognized as spearheading the Yummy movement in Ireland. Guess I'll have to take yet another culinary tour a little further north and check it out... (I love my job!) --- Audrey
Very interesting, mouth-watering piece by Audrey! (A McDreamy McMeel). Your web site is fascinating! --- Susie, Victoria, BC
Combining travel, food, and intelligent advice -- BRILLIANT! Your site fills a long-felt need for hungry roamers. Keep it up! It's Anthony Bourdain with reservations and CLASS. --- Tad, Boston, MA
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